a global orchestra project

Interactive Orchestra

Combining technology with creativity.

In 2017, the Interactive Orchestra, a Global Orchestra project, took to the stage at the Sydney Opera House in a performance that proved music and technology could work hand-in-hand.

Under the direction of Justin Baird and Charlie Chan, the Global Orchestra Foundation worked alongside the Accenture Liquid Studio team to create an orchestra like no other. An orchestra that would become a part-human, part-robot collaboration.

In a world’s first, an artificial intelligence robot - Baxter - was a key member of a n orchestral performance, playing the marimba… even performing a musical solo in front of a live audience!

Presented at the 2017 Adobe Symposium, the Interactive Orchestra was an example of the art possible when you blend artificial intelligence and robotics with creativity.

Using a million pieces of music and custom-built artificial intelligence, engineers programmed Baxter to play the marimba. Then, utilising cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology, Baxter was able to respond to commands from the conductor during a live performance - contributing to the performance like any other member of the orchestra.

To create an even greater interactive experience, the music, lighting and visual projections were manipulated by the audience interacting with the performance on their mobile phones.

A fusion of robotics, machine intelligence and music… this Interactive Orchestra performance was a world’s first, garnering plenty of media attention,

A shorter, smaller version of this work was also performed at the Accenture Innovation Hub Launch in Bangalore. For this performance, we invited local musicians to play along with the Interactive Orchestra (which, of course, included Baxter). The performance was so well received, it made front page of the India Times.

INTRODUCING BAXTER THE ROBOT: Baxter, a rescue robot, plays the marimba. In this video, Global Orchestra founders & trustees introduce the Interactive Orchestra, of which Baxter is an integral part.

COMBINING TECHNOLOGY WITH MUSIC: In partnership with Accenture Interactive, Global Orchestra helped create an immersive, interactive orchestral experience bringing together data, artificial intelligence, music, the web, real-time visualisations and the Adobe Marketing Cloud. The Interactive Orchestra is a not-to-be-missed example of how to capture, analyse and respond to customer preferences in real-time and at scale to create compelling and personalised human experiences.